This one is very near and dear to my heart.  My mom is an incredibly special person in our lives and I feel so lucky to have her and my dad so closeby.  Many of our friends with kids don't have family who live near Murray - it definitely makes our lives much easier to know that any time we need them, they will show up in less than an hour.  My mom is also a superfan of my photography which I'm grateful for.  It's really nice to have so many people cheering me on and her approval means a lot to me.  (I wish my teenage self could read this blog post because I don't think she would have ever thought she would write those words.)  I was really happy when my mom said she wanted me to take pictures of her and Hazel.  I did refuse to take her money - happy birthday, mom!